Summoner's Song
by Shadow Faery
Summary: Go back in time and follow Yuna's path to become a summoner, entering the temple for the first time at the beginning of the what was to be the last journey in her life. The path to being a Summoner is a long one, discover Yuna's story from the beginning.


**Prologue**

"He did it! The Calm is here! Summoner Braska did it!" People all through Spira cheered, everything lit up with twinkling lights that reminded her of pyreflies. Clutching onto a toy summoner's staff, a young girl looked eagerly from the temple door, eyes searching the crowd for a familiar face. It had been a long time since her father had left. She couldn't wait to find him.

"Child, get back inside!" a priest yelled, rushing out of one of the temple rooms. "Your friends said they'd be right back!" Like any other seven year old, there was a slight problem when it came to getting her to obey. It was now or never if she wanted to see the party. Feeling naughty for disobeying, she giggled, the thrill of doing something she'd been forbidden exciting her. With a wave, she scampered off, disappearing into the sea of legs before the priest could reach the steps. She didn't want to wait for Wakka and Lulu. Besides, she was a big girl. She could find her father all by herself.

It was a big crowd and she was a very small girl, just the forest of people crying out with the feel of potential adventure. The smell of food was intoxicating, all the sights, sounds, and smells of a celebration, but she didn't know what it was all for. Still, it sounded fun. The world was her oyster….or something like that. Giggling, her brown head disappeared into the mass of celebrating citizens.

As cheers up rose, the child glanced upward, a statue parting the crowd on its way up to the temple. Something about it seemed very familiar. That strong chin, the unblinking eyes…Wandering right into the path, trying to figure out why the face set in stone seemed so familiar, she ignored the cries from people to get out of the way. Suddenly, she was airborne, the dusty smell of blue fur around her. Searching for the owner of the strong arm that had scooped her up, she almost screamed. Instead, she gave a wide grin.

"Kitty?" she giggled, pointing a chubby hand to his face. Her savior did have a vague resemblance to a feline, one that had fallen into a vat of bye dye. The ears twitched in discomfort before stiffening in alarm as she grabbed at one of the white braids hanging down his face.

"Kimahri…not kitty," the voice growled. "Kimahri ronso." He seemed big and scary, but at the same time, funny, a curious look in his beady eyes as he scanned the young girl in his arm for injuries. It was then that she caught sight of the tail, laughing and wiggling out of his arms to grab at it.

She'd heard of the Ronsos but never met one. Where they all this big? Did they all look like something was growing out of their heads? "You sound funny. Do you have a cold?" she asked. All she received was a funny look. Finally, she grabbed his hand, pulling the young Ronso through the crowd.

"Kimahri? Can you help me find Daddy?" she called over the noise of those around me. "I think he's here somewhere. Maybe my friends Lulu and Wakka know where he is!" Grunting in response, he picked her up and placed her on his shoulders as she squealed in joy.

"Kimahri help girl find friends." That was all she wanted. Small fists grasping his long hair to keep from falling off, she began calling for her friends. The big kitty-Ronso, she liked him. He wasn't as scary as he seemed. As her hand wandered over his head, it fell to rest on the horn.

She'd heard of Ronsos bearing one of these, but this one wasn't as she thought it would be. "What happened?" she asked. He only grunted in response. "Well, it's okay," her hand wandered over the smooth sides of the stump. "It looks better this way. Not so scary." As her hand fell on his cheek, she felt the muscles twitch into a smile, her own cheeks doing the same.

From the shoulders of the ronso, it was a lot easier to see over the crowd, and after a while, she just enjoyed the view. People danced around, humming a song her father often sang her at bed time, the Hymn of the Fayth, and soon, she was humming along too. Everyone was so happy. Waving her toy staff in the air, she laughed.

"I told you one of us should have stayed with her, ya?" a familiar voice said floated from the crowd.

"Well, _you _were the one who insisted it would be fine to leave her with that priest."

"Both of you boys just stop your fighting so we can find her already? Hey! Wakka, get off of him!"

She recognized those voices, immediately wriggling and whimpering, trying to climb down. "They're here! Let's go see them, Kimahri!" It took all the young ronso had to keep from dropping her, and she leaped from his arms, disappearing toward the direction she had heard her friends. Behind her, he followed, determined not to loose her. In some way, he'd become protective of the unnamed girl, such an energetic little bundle that somehow captured his heart.

" 'Oh, let's just leave her with the priest for a moment! Besides! We'll bring her back a balloon' Great idea! And all because _you_ couldn't wait to get something to eat!"

"Both of you! Behave!" the female voice shouted in exasperation. "Honestly, I know you're worried about her, but at least refrain from acting her age!"

Her friends were getting closer, and soon, they came into view, a young girl and two boys who could be brothers, wrestling up a dust storm in a small clearing as people made room for them. The girl watched for a while, giggling from the side as the older girl sighed, making a motion in the air and dousing the two fighters in a water spell. That stopped the fighting long enough for two strong blue hands to interfere, pulling them apart by the back of their shirts.

"Chappu! Wakka! Looking for me?" the child ran up, soaking in their shocked expressions. "Nice spell, Lulu, think you can teach me?"

Kimahri glanced from one struggling boy to the other, then back at the girl who seemed to know them, blinking in surprise. "Your…friends?"

"Yup! Everyone meet Kimah-"

"You scared the hell out of us young lady!"

"What were you thinking disappearing like that!"

"Next time…wait for us to get back, okay?"

The screams chased the smile away as she cowered behind Kimahri, tears beginning to spill down her cheeks and lower lip trembling. No more yelling! She didn't want to be in trouble! As Wakka, the older of the two boys continued on his rant, Chappu finally calmed down, running his fingers through his blond hair and muttering to himself.  
"It's okay, here, you can hold my doll for now," Lulu comforted the girl. "We were just worried. Don't do that again, promise?" The child nodded solemnly, brushing the back of her hand over her eyes before stepping back from her hiding place, still clutching the ronso's hand while she cradled the enchanted moogle doll. She felt a little better now, even more so as a lethal glare from Lulu stopped Wakka's continuous ramblings.

Through the rambling, Kimahri caught mention of "Braska's daughter" and gazed down at the small girl now amusing herself with the doll as the sun dried her tears. Yes, there it was now, he could see the resemblance, and it became obvious of who she was. It was hard not to know her name on a day like this, smiling and laughing like any other Spiran. But she wasn't just another partier, was she.

Proving his suspicions, passersby gave fleeting glances in her direction, and whispers arose. The girl didn't seem to notice them though, too distracted now by sending the doll after one of the boys who began struggling to unclamp the thing from his face as the two girls laughed.

"Kimahri! Come with us!" the child broke him out of his quiet observations, grabbing his hand in one of his and one of Chappu's in her other. "Lulu said I could see the baby chocobos!" She seemed so happy to have a new friend, and he didn't have anywhere else to go. Nodding, he followed the four of them.

The child was ecstatic to be with all her friends, skipping along happily as Wakka trailed behind, muttering embarrassed assurance to everyone near that the toy Summoner staff he held for her wasn't his until Lulu slapped him. They were all older than her, but they held special qualities that other friends her age wouldn't have had. And all of them felt like the older siblings she always longed for, always there for her even now when her father was so often away. Lulu, a promising young sorcerer who always let her play with the enchanted dolls she carried, Chappu, a future fighter and close in talent to his older brother Wakka in blitzball who already was getting attention from the Luca Goers. Now she had Kimahri as well, silent, big, but at the same time very nice. An over grown kitty cat that made her want to give him a hug. Such a strange assortment of friends for this little girl, but she didn't mind.

The small chocobo chicks ran around the corral, clumsy wings tripping them and making her laugh. But that wasn't what she was here for. Making a beeline to the slightly older chocobos for children to ride, she jumped eagerly until Kimahri lifted her on. Then she took off around the closed in area, shrieking in laughter.

So much fun! She remembered her father letting her ride a chocobo with him once. Now, she was on her own on one more her own side, scattering a flock of smaller chocoboes and circling around where her friends were mounting some larger ones of their own.

"Come on, grumpy face, get on already!" Chappu urged from atop one bird that pawed impatiently at the ground. "Lulu! Oh fine, be that way!" Suddenly, he scooped her up, putting her behind him as she protested and taking off.

"Chappu! Chappu, let me off now! Don't make me cast Thunder on you! You won't like it!" Lulu threatened, holding on tight. Behind her, the moogle doll chased them futilely, trying to catch up to its owner.

Kimahri was sizing up a chocobo who looked nervous about trying to sustain his weight. Wakka had already fallen off of his, dragging behind it as he demanded it to stop. Giggling, the girl pet her own while attendants chased after her fallen friend and watched the others for a while. Chocobo riding was fun…

"You're a good chocobo, you know that?" she assured her mount. "I'm going to call you…Kuku! Come on! Let's see how fast you can go!" Laughing as the chocobo cooed its approval, they took off to ride along the dragging Wakka and laugh at him for a while.

It had to be the best day of her life, she thought an hour later, sitting under a tree and sneaking candy from the bag that the sleeping Wakka had while Chappu was begging Lulu to keep from hitting him with another spell for the chocobo incident. Curled up against Kimahri's side, she sighed. A new friend, a big party, and she'd gotten to ride a chocobo. She couldn't wait to tell her father.

"Lulu?" she asked as the other girl came back to cool off in the shade. "This is fun, isn't it?'

"If by fun you mean showing Chappu that my aim with Thunder is getting better, then yes, this is fun." That got a giggle from the girl.

"So when does Daddy get back? Isn't this a party for him? I saw a statue of him and everything!"

Suddenly, her friends became silent save for the soft snore from Wakka. Slowly, her smile began to fade, looking from one person to the other. "Daddy's here, isn't he?" she asked once more. "He can't miss his own party, could he?"

Kimahri's arm tightened around her as if trying to comfort her, and Lulu and Chappu looked at each other, searching for the right words. Finally, Lulu set her doll down, coming to sit on the child's other side.

"Well…you know Sin, right?" The boogey-man to children of Spira, a threat to all, who didn't know? The girl nodded slowly, looking confused for a moment.

"Yup, Daddy's a Summoner; he said he could make him go away."

"Oh, he did make him go away, you're father's a hero," Chappu interjected.

"It's just…" Lulu took her hand, looked her in the eyes. "Your father's not coming back. He told us to take care of you because…he died."

That perfect day had turned a 180º. She couldn't feel the warmth of the sun anymore, nor could she hear anything else that her friends said, frozen in shock. Finally, she got up and ran.  
"He's here! He's not gone!" she yelled behind her. "I'll find him and prove it!" The others looked at each other, reluctant to go after her when she needed time. They should have told her before, prepared for this. Too late to help much, Wakka woke up with a start, looking in confusion at the silence.

"Huh? What did I miss? Did you lose her again?"

The child ran, tears streaking her face as she first looked in the temple then scoured the fair for her father, wishing his strong arms would scoop her up and prove her friends wrong. She hated them, hated them for this cruel joke they were playing on her. They had to be wrong.

It was dark when they found her, curled up asleep behind the temple from exhaustion as Wakka picked her up, carried her home. Time, she just needed some time to adjust. She was Yuna, Summoner Braska's daughter, named after Yunalesca, seven years old, and now an orphan.

Author's notes: For my other readers, I know I should be working on Wilted Rose and especially Beyond the Farplanes, but I just felt that I needed to try something else, get this out of my head. Not going to leave any of my stories unfinished! In fact, almost finished with BTF's third chapter! I guess I just need a little variety for now before I can get full concentration on my other stories.

Note: Chappu, 12 or 13? Lulu, 12. Wakka, 14. Kimahri, 15. Yuna, 7.


End file.
